Ada Rose and Betty & Walter, from Lisa Levis

You may remember we wrote about Lisa Levis’s sweet beauty range Betty & Walter for Boots back here, when we were pleased to see her back on her feet after a bruising business-time (she lost the use of her own name, Lisa Stickley). Now married and on her commercial feet again, Lisa is back with not just an extended Betty & Walter range, which now includes bags and accessories, but with Ada Rose, a beautiful, quality range of bags which exploits her print-designing talent.

Lisa is a good mix of talented designer and great range builder, which is not that common. She picks her print-to-product well and is keen on detail, for the Ada Rose range the bags and purse have the secure feeling of being well considered, with nice additions such as heavy lucite zip decorations, leather trims and well thought out compartmentalising of space.

When we visited her cute Bermondsey studio we asked her what made her do two ranges at once, wasn’t that a big risk? “With my previous ranges I never felt like I’d achieved what I had in my head. Betty & Walter was a great start and it went brilliantly at Boots last year (It sold out) so I’ve extended that with good value accessories and more beauty products. But there was also a grown up girl in me bursting to get out, so I created Ada Rose as a more elegant, stylish range to satisfy that struggle.”

I really love the Ada Rose collection for two reasons, firstly it is well made for a good price, from £30 for a sweet wallet to £195 for the elegant large shoulder bag, I have never understood the need to pay the price of a weekend away somewhere nice for a handbag. Secondly the prints are such a lift to the spirits yet are not too kooky, putting the designs firmly in the ‘elegant’ not ‘novelty’ handbag category and we could all use one of those.

Ada Rose, named after Lisa’s two great grannies, is available on line from early next week, as well as Liberty, Fenwicks and Atterley Road and frankly if those guys have invested, you know its going to be worth a second look.

Then there’s the well priced Betty & Walter range, named after Lisa’s aunt and uncle, of kitchen textiles such as pinnies and oven gloves, as well as wash bags, purses and beauty products, priced from £8-£48. Still available at Boots from the autumn, the extended collection now has its own space in Bentalls department store in Kingston, independent stockists and online. The prints all have names inspired by the British countryside and Lisa’s childhood memories, such as the ‘British Cloud’ colourway of the Tulip and Flower Bed print (below) and the evocative Sponge Fingers print, seen below in the purse. I love the book bag (which I think is called Royal Fudge) which might make a great present for a student daughter or loaded-down worker with a sense of style.

Do check these out if you are looking for presents or bags for yourselves, both ranges have their own websites, Betty & Walter and Ada Rose, which go live for selling mid week next week, there is a blog to keep you posted here and if you are in the Westbourne Park area on Thursday 21st March Lisa has a launch day pop up store for one day only selling both ranges (details on the blog). I really think Lisa is a major accessories name-to-watch.